Siem Reap, Cambodia: Top 5 Things to Do and More
Siem Reap was our point of entry into Cambodia from Hanoi, Vietnam. The weather was a welcome break from the cold, dreary weather of Hanoi – 80 and 90 degree temps with sunshine. Siem Reap is where the famous Angkor Temple Complex resides. It is massive, spanning 400 square kilometers. Many take a bus or tuk tuk to cover the long distances from temple to temple. The temples were constructed in the 9th-15th centuries during the Khmer Empire, and are mostly well preserved. The most famous temple is Angkor Wat.
Many tourists come to Siem Reap just for this attraction and then leave the country, which is a shame because there is so much more of Cambodia to discover than this touristy town.
Siem Reap is pretty developed given all the money that tourism brings in. There’s a downtown area called Pub Street with a nice walking street, night market, bars, and excellent restaurants for every budget.
I was surprised with how relatively clean everything was too. Garbage didn’t litter the streets as I had just seen in many places in Vietnam. The town had a great vibe-lively with a lot of expats. Side note, we learned that Cambodia has the second largest number of non-governmental organizations (NGO) per capita, behind Rwanda, which could explain why there are so many expats that choose to live in Cambodia.
We stayed in Siem Reap for 4 nights, but you could get away with 3 nights or even stay a whole week. As many people come to Siem Reap to see the Angkor Temple Complex, the number of nights they stay here is dictated by this primary activity. More on this below.
Getting Here
We took Air Asia, a budget airline, from Hanoi, Vietnam. It was an easy 2-hour flight for $160 USD. We also took advantage of the lounge at Hanoi’s airport and got a full meal with drinks for free. Stay tuned for Mike’s travel hacks on how you too can score lounge access.
You do need a visa for Cambodia. It’s easy to obtain-you can get one upon entry into Cambodia. It cost $30 dollars for Americans. You’ll need a photo of yourself for the visa, if you don’t have one, then you can get it there a just pay little more.
Accommodations
We stayed at Cheng Lay Guesthouse, which was in the center Siem Reap’s downtown area. It was a stone’s throw away from the Pub Street, but far enough away that we could sleep at night. We stayed in a private room with its own bathroom, air conditioning, TV with cable. The room was clean and the bed was comfortable (we’re starting to realize the importance of a great bed, especially when you’re on the move all the time). We paid $13.65 USD a night, which was a good value for the location and condition of the room. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is available at their restaurant. We only ate the breakfast, which was simple, decent, and cheap. I highly recommend staying here if you come to Siem Reap and are in search of budget accommodations. Look out for our sticker!
Pro Tip: I recommend staying close to Pub Street if you’re interested in exploring the downtown area and want some good food. You can easily take a tuk tuk or bus to go the 20 minutes from the Pub Street area to the Angkor Temple Complex. I’ll tell you more about the tour we arranged for Angkor Wat in just second. There are accommodations that are located closer to the Angkor Temple Complex, but they are about a 10-15 minutes tuk tuk ride from Pub Street.
We used Booking.com for our accommodations – use our referral link so that you can get a $25 reward! https://www.booking.com/s/43_8/roxyba87
Top 5 Things to Do in Siem Reap
If you’re staying more than a couple days in Siem Reap, then there are some things that you can do outside of the Angkor Temple Complex to keep you busy.
1. Angkor Temple Complex – There are different ticket packages that are available – 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days. We chose the three-day pass so that we could do the smaller loop on day 1, which includes Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples and then the larger loop on day 2. The 3-day pass allowed us the flexibility to break up our temple touring, because you really can only see so many temples at one time, especially in the heat and with throngs of tourists. We took a day in between the temple touring to sit by the pool and relax (our friends were staying at the Le Meridien so we were able to take advantage of their lush pool-thanks Jacob and Jessie!).
I strongly recommend setting-up transportation (a tuk tuk or a van) to see the Angkor Temple Complex. As for the guide, it’s a toss-up as to whether you get one that speaks your language well. This really makes a difference. On the first day, our guide spoke English well enough, but on the second day, we were given a different guide whose English was not great, so it was hard to understand him throughout the tour. This was a bummer because there is so much history to understand. In hindsight, we would have just hired the driver and bought a book on the history of the Angkor Temple Complex, which you can buy at the complex. There are many different companies that you can book the driver and/or guide through. We used Siem Reap Shuttle. To the extent that you can, make sure that your guide speaks your language well.
The Siem Reap Shuttle provided an air-conditioned bus to pick us up from our hotel and take us directly to the Angkor Temple Complex. The bus also picked us up from each temple and shuttled us to the next one. This tour also takes you to a lunch spot on the complex. The price of the food was on the higher side for the budget backpacker, but the Khmer food was excellent.
Pro Tip: Make sure that you wear appropriate clothing. This means that shoulders and knees must be covered. It will most likely be hot so consider wearing light, breathable material.
2. Explore Pub Street – this area is very lively with many things to do and see. If you’re into artisanal goods or just want to get the typical touristy t-shirt (because who wouldn’t!?) then you can shop around the night market. You can also get a cheap foot massage after a long day of walking around and looking at temples.
3. Cambodia Landmine Museum – this museum educates the public on the dangers of landmines and the importance of removing them, especially in Cambodia, where landmines once littered the country during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. There are still landmines that remain in the country, and the government in collaboration with NGOs are working to remove the ordnance.
4. Angkor National History Museum – this is another museum that you can visit if you want to escape the heat and learn a little more about the history of the Khmer Empire.
5. Chill Pool Side – we were fortunate enough to escape the heat at the Le Meridien pool where our friends were staying. Because we stayed more than a couple of days in Siem Reap, we were able to break up our Angkor temple touring with a day by the pool.
Where to Eat
1. Cambodian Traditional Chef has good Khmer food and great happy hour prices.
2. Il Forno has excellent Italian food. The place is run by an Italian, which is a nice touch as he makes the rounds to the tables to check-in.
Our Key Tips and Takeaways
1. Book transport and a guide for the Angkor Temple Complex. Try to find a guide who speaks your language well. If you can’t find one, get a book that explains the history of each temple you visit.
2. Get the 3-day pass that way you can do the smaller circuit on one day and the larger circuit on another day. You can also choose to take a break in between like we did.
3. Spend the time to explore Cambodia outside of Siem Reap.